Device for use in picking grapes.



G. E. MORSE. DEVICE POB. USE IN PICKING GRAPES.

APPLICATION FILED EEB. 3,'1909.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

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GEORGE F. MORSE, OF PERU, NEW YORK.

DEVICE FOR USE IN PICKING GRAPES.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

Application filed February 3, 1909. Serial No. 475,827.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, GEORGE F. MORSE, citizen of the United States,residing at Peru, in the county of Clinton and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Use inPicking Grapes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention isl an improved construction of device forpicking grapes, whereby the grapes do not come in contact with thepickers hands in the picking operation, the device being in the natureof a pair of nippers of novel and advantageous construction, as will behereinafter fully described and claimed.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merit-s thereof, andto acquire a knowledge of the details of construction, reference is tobe had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tool embodying the improvements of myinvention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of aportion thereof; Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig.1; Fig. 4 is a similar view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is atransverse sectional view illustrating a modification hereinafterspecifically described; and, Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of oneof the gripping blocks of such modification.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawing, by the samereference characters.

My improved grape-picking device comprises jaws 1 and 2 and handles 3and 4. The jaws are preferably constructed of strips of metal that arebent upon themselves transversely to a U shape in cross section, thesaid strips being recessed, as at 5, to form rearwardly extending ends 6that are spaced from each other, as shown. The handles 3 and 4 are alsopreferably constructed of strips of metal doubled upon themselves toproduce channeled portions with disklike heads T, these headsoverlapping each other and also overlapping the rearwardly extendingends 6 of the jaws, a pivot bolt 8 being inserted through the heads 7and the rearwardly extending ends of the jaws to pivotally connect theparts together. The ends 6 of the jaws are also held in place by meansof pins 9 which extend transversely through the side portions of thechanneled handles 3 and 4. If desired, these pins mayl be extendedthrough the ends 6 of the jaws, but preferably, as illust-rated in thedrawing, the ends are interposed between the pins and the adjacent outersides of the handles, so that while the jaws are securely held in place,they may be easily detached by merely withdrawing the pivot bolt 8. Inorder to press the jaws open, a spring 10 is coiled around the pivotbolt S, as at- 102, being thereby incased within the disk-like heads 7of the handles and the rearwardly extending ends 6 of the jaws, the endsof the spring eX- tending longitudinally within the channels of thehandles. If desired, one end of the spring may be coiled to form a ring11 to allow the tool to be held by one finger, or enable it to be hungupon a nail or other support, when not in use.

12 designates blades that are secured to the respective handles 3 and 4by screws or small screw bolts. Preferably, one of the jaws is formedwith a slot 13 to receive one of the fastening devices for this blade,so that the blade may be adjusted to different inclinations, as desired.

14 designates yielding grippers. These may be in the form of cushionblocks of rubber or similar compressible substance received within theU-shaped jaws 3 and 4 and held therein in any desired way, the opposingportions of the blocks or grippers normally projecting beyond the innermargin of the aws, but preferably terminating flush with or somewhatshort of the cutting edges of the blades 12. lf desired, as illustratedin Fig. 5, the yieldable grippers may be in the form of blocks 14a ofmetal or wood or any other desired substance, with springs 15 back ofthem to permit them to4 yield.

Frein the foregoing description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, it is believed that the operation of my improved grape-pickingdevice is obvious. By grasping the handles 3 and 4 and pressing the sametogether, the jaws 1 and 2 may be closed upon the stem of a bunch ofgrapes, the blades snipping the same, while at the same time, orimmediately following the cutting operation, the yielding grippers willsecurely grip the bunch and prevent it from falling, after which it maybe deposited in a basket or similar receptacle, without coming incontact with the pickers hands.

It is obvious that by removing the grippers 14 and 14, the device may beused as a pruning implement.'

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

A device of the character described, coinprising pivoted jaws andhandles, the jaws being constructed of strips doubled transversely uponthemselves and recessed to produce rearwardly extended ends which arespaced laterally from each other, the handles being also formed ofstrips doubled upon themselves transversely to produce channeledportions, the handles being formed with disk-like heads extendingforwardly from such channeled portions and overlapping each other andthe rearwardly extended ends of the jaws, the pivot extending throughthe heads and the rearwardly extended ends of the jaws and suchrearwardly extended ends being received in and engaged by the channeledportions of the han-v dles, whereby a movement of the handles towardeach other will impart a closing movement to the jaws, pins secured tothe handles and engaging Jthe rearwardly extended ends of the jaws, anexpansion spring coiled within the heads and having its arms extendedalong the channeled portion of the handles; yieldable grippers mountedin the jaws, and blades securedfto said In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE F. MORSE.

